Blueberry Muffins

Several years ago, I planted blueberry bushes along the east wall of our garage. They were nestled in between Clematis, Hydrangeas and St John’s Wort. Over they years they have progressively grown bigger and bigger.

We have two varieties. One that produces in mid-July and the other will produce in the beginning of August.

When we first cultivated this area, we used compost, landscape fabric and covered it all in shredded pallets. Blueberries love acidic soil and I suppose that the addition of pallets aided in supplementing the soil.

During the first few years, we were lucky to get a handful, later, enough for blueberry pancakes. More recently, we’ve froze a few quarts for smoothies.

But this year is the year of the Blueberry! The bush is loaded and we’re picking every couple days! I decided it was time to do some work and find a recipe. I ultimately decided on Muffins (over a pie) because I had everything I needed on hand!

I will say that this is THEE best muffin I have ever made! HANDS DOWN! My daughter thinks we should sell these during our local Log Jam Festival! Ummmm, not so sure about that but I have to agree with her that these are amazing!

Crumb Topping

Mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter and 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon with a fork or two knives (depending on the stiffness of the butter) until fine crumb-like consistency. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Muffin Mixture

Mix 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt together. I like to put my dry ingredients together and mix in the stand mixer to ensure the baking powder and salt are well mixed before adding any liquids.

Place 1/3 cup applesauce in 1 cup, glass measuring cup. Add egg and top with milk to equal 1 cup.

Add this to the flour mixture and mix only until fully incorporated.

Gently fold in blueberries.

Fill mixture evenly in muffin tin.

Sprinkle with Crumb topping.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until done.

Tips for success:

Always mix dry ingredients together well prior to adding liquids when making quick breads.

When making quick breads, only mix the final product enough to ensure there are no dry spots in the batter. Over-mixing batters can make the final product tough and chewy.

Applesauce is a great replacement for oil. If you don’t have applesauce on hand, you can use vegetable oil instead.

Never reduce the salt by less than 50% in baking products. Salt interacts with baking powder (or baking soda) to cause the bread to rise and to brown appropriately.

I use a cookie scooper to fill muffin tins. I can usually put 2 scoops in a cup. This keeps the pan clean , ensures the muffins or cupcakes are even in size, and that they bake evenly.

Always set the timer for the minimum time suggested and then use a toothpick to test for doneness. Small crumbs are OK but they should not be wet.

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